Bridging the Country for Environmental Awareness

Alaska is…

Alaska is a place to teach you to be humble. I am beyond blessed to not travel to Alaska once but four times. Alaska is a place to be open and free. Alaska is a place where I come to be open and to be free to say the least. I could never explain Alaska no matter how many times I try to; the words just never come out the way I want them to. Alaska is my happy place, where I can open my mind, warm my heart with memories, and spread my wings to grow. Alaska is the place that taught me how to be more humbled, how blessed I am to only be eighteen and have been to Alaska four times, and last but not least how lucky I am to have all the opportunities while being here. Alaska is my happy place.

Emily Marshall

Alaska is the most beautiful state in the world.

Matt Lubis

Alaska is a place of community, where a group of classmates, colleagues, friends, acquaintances, and strangers from Marshall will travel. Along the way we climb mountains and run races; never turning our backs and walking away until we have cheered every last person to the top and across the finish line.

We come together over long drives, meals, committee work, and tent set up. We invent games, sing along to the classics and laugh until we cry. We come together and leave as family.

Anna Eshuis

Alaska is an escape from reality and the best adventure I could ask for. You can be free and find out who you really are. Even if you think you are unadventurous and believe the environment has no effect on you, Alaska helps the truth be reveled.

Mike Sitar

Alaska is a land of vast space, amazing vistas, ocean coastlines, interesting floral and Fauna, remoteness, and outgoing people. Itâ€™s a place to marvel at the wonders of nature and renew your soul.

Mark Gilbert

Alaska is breathtaking. Whether itâ€™s the mountains, the wilderness, or the way people live on a daily basis. Alaska keeps getting better and better.

Kendra Laupp

Alaska is waterfalls, meadows, wild flowers and trees. It is harbors, rivers, boats, and sea. Mountains punctuate the landscape. The unique wildlife is captivating. Moose, elk, caribou, bears, whales, otters, puffin, and popoises are all so different but they all call Alaska home. Alaska is hunting and fishing. It is warm and inviting like the people who habit it.

Courtney Cavinder

Alaska is a journey you keep in your heart. Alaska is making new friends and learning about your self and the environment. Iâ€™m glad I was given the chance to return again. Farewell 49 you will live with me forever.

Stan Vetter

Alaska is

Wild and peaceful

Beautiful and breathtaking

Unknown and unforgettable

Truly the last frontier.

Rain Hubbell

Alaska isâ€¦

Adventurous

Beautiful

Caribou

Dall sheep

Endless Fun

Fishy

Glaciers

Hatcher Pass

Ice Fields

Journaling

Killer Whales

Life-changing

Mountainous

Nature

Oceans

Porpoise

Quiet

Rainy

Salmon

Tents

Untouched

Views

Wonderful

X-citing

Yukon

Zooplankton

Josie Croce

Alaska is a magic placeâ€¦as much today as it was during the first visit of the AGLP in 1990. Back then, I remember tromping across the village of Tatitlek in knee-high rubber boots. Hearing the phone we made our way through a moss decked bank of rainforest trees down to a cobblestone beach. There, as I took my first steps into the mirror-smooth waters, a giant eagle screeched as it flew above me. I said to no one in particular: â€œI can go home now, all my efforts to teach Alaska were worth it. Iâ€™ve repeated those words many times over in the past twenty-five years.

Dale Rosene (Ishtar)

Alaska is a land of beauty and wonder, full of majestic animals and magnificent views. Alaska is a place where 56 degrees Fahrenheit feels warms and 68 degrees Fahrenheit means lying on the grass in the sun with shorts and a t-shirt. Alaska is a moose and her calf running along the road in front of you. Alaska is standing on top of a mountain, looking over the edge and thinking, â€œI did it!â€ And Alaska is getting closer to old friends while making new ones.

Natalie Wilson

Alaska is an amazing state, full of wildlife and incredible landforms.

Alexandra Egnatuk

Alaska is the prettiest place Iâ€™ve ever been. Itâ€™s more than I ever imagined it to be, and itâ€™s so beautiful here. Everyday you see something or do something new.

Taylor Horn

Alaska is the most beautiful place in the world. The air is so clean and fresh. The mountains are breathtaking. We are guests in this beautiful state, where the animals and birds are free to roam. I have had the privilege of seeing many animals this trip.

Sandi Donahue

Alaska is a land of its own; from its beautiful scenery to its grand wildlife. Rugged and fierce to breathtaking. Ever-changing, never the same Alaska.

Matt Crapo

Alaska is a place of many opportunities to meet interesting people, make new friends, and experience the amazing beauty where one can appreciate Godâ€™s artistry.

John Vaughn

Alaska is indescribable. No pictures, no words, or any descriptive feature of Alaska is a match for truly being here. Taking on the great state of Alaska has been an adventure for the books. Iâ€™ve embraced the wildlife, the culture, and the nature of Alaska. You only experience these kinds of things once. Itâ€™s a gift in itself to venture through this land of untouched beauty and untamed wild. Alaska is an unforgettable state that will always have a special place in my heart.

Mackenzie Horn

Alaska is the place where I discovered and rediscovered myself as a newer and better person each time. It is where I discovered the greatest friends and formed the strongest bonds I will ever have. This is the place that I will always promise to return to when I am in need of clarity, renewal and a new adventure or an old friend. Alaska is where it all starts and all things in my future will tie themselves back to Alaska.

Delaney Hurst

Alaska is a pure untouched beauty. A place where you discover yourself and realize how small your troubles really are.

Kelsie Hicks

Alaska is an open frontier. You see moose, bears, fish and beautiful scenery.

Andrew Kiessling

Alaska to me is a very beautiful place. Once I get to the top of a mountain I really donâ€™t want to take my eyes off of it, because itâ€™s just breathtaking and just so peaceful.

Kyelee Laupp

Alaska has been a part of my life for the past 16 years, and I have met so many great peopleâ€”not only from AGLP, but from Alaska. I know I can call them my friends. Itâ€™s sad to see it end, but I know the past 25 years in the AGLP has made a big difference in so many lives, and I feel privileged that Ishtar (Dale) has made me a part of that. What a great ride. Thanks for taking me along, Dale.

Steve Washburn

Alaska is one of the most magical places around. Almost everywhere that I look, huge mountains reach up and touch the clouds. It seems like everywhere in the wild, massive hears of caribou roam. At most of the places where we stop to camp, I can hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Every night I go to bed with a sense of achievement and fulfillment at the sights that I see, sounds that I hear, and activities that I do for I know that it may be the only time that I do it. That is why I feel that Alaska is so magical.

Brian Huyge

Alaska is when I first came on this trip two years ago I did a lot of growing and changing myself. Alaska now is not only beauty and peacefulness but watching how these students and first time adults see this adventureâ€”how they grow and change. When you encourage a student through a hill and they make it, the hug you get and the smile on their faceâ€”that is what Alaska is!

Barbara Gary

Alaska is untouched.

Loren Bates

Alaska is the best place you can come to.

Matteo Solis

Alaska is too much to explain in one sentence. It is beauty, as shown in the mountains and forests. It is discomfort, as shown in mosquitoes and rain. It is tough and hardy, as shown in the wildlife and plants. It is a home to many people and animals. It is bright and dark, warm and cold, sun-filled and snow-covered. Alaska is like nowhere else. Alaska is Alaska.

Nicole Wilson

Alaska is what you want the world to be like. From the scenic mountain views to the cool rushing waters. You look around the streets and see no litter. Just the feel of the cool Alaskan coastline makes you feel that life is good.

Bryce Munn

Alaska isâ€¦you canâ€™t explain it in words. Amazing, beautiful, breathtaking doesnâ€™t even begin to describe it. Natural, free, there are things that you would never be able to see anywhere else in the U.S. Some things are so amazing or beautiful that even the best camera in the world wouldnâ€™t be able to give its beauty justice; you have to see it for yourself.

Cali Berry

Alaska is a plethora of Godâ€™s beautiful scenery, including amazing landscapes seascapes and wonderfully preserved wildlife.

Carol Moss

Alaska is more incredible evidence of Godâ€™s creation and His love for usâ€¦that He would share all this with us! From the majestic topography to the simple finding of lost items to climbing Exit Glacier, to animals that many only wish to see to teamwork of many. We are blessed.

Bob Moss

Alaska is a wonderous place full of adventure and opportunity.

Alivia Shumaker

Alaska is beautiful, extraordinary and like nowhere Iâ€™ve ever been before.

Meena Ritchie

Alaska is a really beautiful place with kind people.

Katie Warsop

Alaska is a wonderful place to experience new things. A place to see and experience all of the wonders. All things that we donâ€™t think about. Itâ€™s crazy how pretty our earth is.

Emma Flynn

Alaska is one of the largest landmasses that the USA has ever bought. Yet people called Alaska a folly made by William H. Seward, who was secretary of state under president Andrew Johnson. The name â€œSewardâ€™s Follyâ€ was made to explain Alaska. This â€œFollyâ€ mentality has been around since the beginning of Alaskan exploration. But, every Folly has a bright side. The only real folly that I see is that if people will not explore a vast new place you might never se a landscape so beautiful.

Seb Loonen

Alaska is where your dreams stay big and your worries stay small.

Asha Ritche

Alaska is one of the best places I have ever been to. This trip has been crazy for me, and I have done so much since the beginning. I have done so many things and met so many people that I never would have if not for this trip.

Thank you to everyone who made this trip an opportunity for me.

Derry Kramer

Alaska isâ€¦

Raw

Untamed

A glimpse into the past

A reminder of human destruction

Breathtaking

Sacred

An escape

Freedom

Godâ€™s talent on display

Rene Baril

Alaska isâ€¦

A place that challenges you to break through your status quo, to relive old dreams and make anew. Itâ€™s a place that, even when thousands of miles away, finds a way to make you smile and see the beauty that surrounds you. My approach and appreciation for life is what it is, in large part, because of Alaska, and that is something I am forever grateful for.

Ian Stewart

Alaska isâ€¦

the place where Eagles soar. They test their wings and soon ride the thermals to go where they see the world from new perspective. Alaska is also where parents from Marshall send their progeny to test their flight feathers. Eighth graders who know not what the world has in store for them. â€œCan I flyâ€?

Fly they do!

Learn to soar!

Soar to heights even their parents cannot imagine.

Douglas Murch

Alaska is the sun, the moon, the stars, the rain and everything in nature rolled into one. It is also a place where it seems possible to be at one with the universe. Alaska is not the last frontier or the end of the journey but the beginning. Something in the air makes you feel more alive and free of worry!

Claudia Murch

Alaska means the world to me, the memories, the people, and the experiences have shaped my life. I sit here at this beautiful river and think, â€œwhat really am I?â€ There is so much bigger and greater than me, but that doesnâ€™t mean I am insignificant. The experiences I have had are not insignificant, and the bonds I have made are not insignificant. Alaska has helped me understand myself and life better. Sitting here tonight has really made me understand how much I will miss these people and this trip. Alaska has provided all of the kids in my family with the opportunity to find themselves and discover who they really are. Looking at this sky, these mountains, and this river I have realized many things, and shed a few tears, but the main thing I have realized is, I am going to miss this place. I am going to miss my home.

Joe Rockwell

Alaska is more than you and I will ever know. Alaska is many different things, but one thing it is not is describable. One could write a whole novel and still not capture everything that Alaska is. Alaska is something that cannot be written, only experienced.

Blake Blair

Alaska is an unstoppable, infinite torrent of experiences. An arsenal of almost endless mountains and valleys, that snatch your breath away, and threatens to never give it back. Beautiful snowcapped mountains that reach for the sky and scrape the clouds and beckon to be conquered. Alaska is a collection of vast stretching land and sea that hold animals and creatures of extreme beauty. Alaska is tranquility. A place that instantly calms and relaxes the busy mind of the average busy worker, who hurries through life, worrying about traffic, meetings, loud honks and blares, and all other things that yank us from the here and now. Alaska is the remedy to this disease. It is not perfect, but it has a different bustle than the lower 48. One less packed with work, and more with adventure. Alaska is home to creativity. Alaska is the Final Frontier. Alaska has been 25 years of life changing wonders, and though the same opportunity will no longer be available in the same way, the wonders wont stop. They will never stop.

Asher Wertheimer

Alaska is Earth showing off its natural beauty. From the mountains to the ocean, to the wildlife, Alaska is the most beautiful place on Earth. Experiencing Alaska taught me to appreciate the world and everything it has to offer.

Noah Coulter

Alaska is…beautiful,where everyday you see a new spectacular view of the mountains surrounding you. Alaska is a wondrous place that can only be described in person. Alaska is BEAUTIFUL!

Ariana Johnson
Alaska is a beautiful place where you can never find a dull moment. Just sitting by the water, looking at the mountains, is breathtaking. I’ve learned how to appreciate every moment like this one [journaling on the shores of resurrection bay]. I’ve grown to love everyone here like family. The memories I make here, with these people, are truly unforgettable.

Korinne Winnie
Alaska is a place. More specifically a state, one of the 50 of America, a country of the world. Yes, Alaska may only be just a place to others, but to me, it is a safe haven of the wilderness, a grown man’s playground, the last frontier. Here it is where children are in amazement of the frost-bitten glaciers, where the waves in Resurrection Bay continue to roll, where Moose in Denali continue to be seen. Here it is where those cute little espresso shops exist. Alaska isn’t just a place. It’s something more.

Jack Merucci
Alaska is a rhapsody. Alaska is realizing for the first time in a long time that Earth is mighty, and you are not. Alaska is humbling. Alaska is waking up three minutes before an important meeting. Alaska is beginning to like certain songs just because your van mates like them so much. Alaska is having countless situational jokes with those you share a tent with. Alaska is finding out that the person you had awkward greetings with at the beginning of the trip is actually quite similar to you. Alaska is also enlightenment about a variety of things. Alaska is witnessing a sunset over the Nenana River when you should have been in bed long ago. Most importantly, Alaska is about connections. Getting to experience all of it with those who were virtual strangers in your past makes the three weeks some of the most pungent of anyone’s life.

Garrett Sander
Alaska is a wild ride
friends & family side by side
Alaska is a fresh caught fish
to share with friends & pass a dish
Alaska is the midnight sun
laughing, playing, & having fun
Alaska is climbing high
which makes it hard to say goodbye
Alaska is a place I love
with soaring eagles high above
on this journey we learn and grow
taking a piece of Alaska with us when we go

Lauren Murphy
Alaska is a walk down memory lane and up into the clouds.

Olivia Gary
Alaska is what you make it.i

Tom
Alaska is an open place and it’s what you make it.

Stu
Alaska is the foundation which creates ever lasting memories, and life long friendships.

Kimber Tarkiewicz
Alaska is unforgettable. The scenery, the people, everything is just breathtaking. I saw an orca come up next to our boat that’s something I’ll never see back in Michigan. Also its a time to get away from everything and take in what this world has to offer. Alaska is truly amazing.

Ashton DeLong
For all my time in Alaska I don’t believe I am capable of summing it up in a few short words. It is too enormous, too magnificent, too wild, and too free. I can, however, tell you what I know it is not. It is not the place you see on T.V. No, everyone here does not live in igloos, they don’t have to save their bear meat to survive the winter, and they don’t all work on crab fishing boats or on an ice road. Many of them are normal people with normal jobs. But, with one difference; they live in an extraordinary place.

Stuart Murch

Alaska Is

all around me

I sit
swathed in
Alaska’s
cool air

Surrounded by
its noises
the hum of a passing boat
the lapping of waves
upon contrasting
jagged rocks

Polls

About us

Dale Rosene of Marshall [MI] Middle School and Gary Holsten of Palmer [AK] Junior Middle School conceived the Alaska Great Lakes Project in 1989. The project was a response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound in Alaska. With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, students from Marshall Middle School traveled to the small Aleute village of Tatitlek to do comparative beach studies.